Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

Fica, the Great Jing's base.

Hope and Lai Gou'er sat facing each other, with many exquisite delicacies laid out before them.

Beside Lai Gou'er's hand was a hand-cranked gramophone.

Ever since Father Solje had caused a major incident in the Holy City,

after returning to Fica, the correspondence between Lai Gou'er and Hope had been constant.

Although Hope relied on the Church for his business, he clearly disdained many of its actions.

He had helped Father Solje in the Holy City, possessed outstanding strength, and had a deep understanding of the Church, naturally making him an excellent partner.

Lai Gou'er would not give up this opportunity.

And Hope, as a businessman, naturally wanted to obtain the sales rights for Great Jing's goods.

Therefore, the relationship between the two had always been harmonious.

With the Church and Great Jing already having conflicting interests, Lai Gou'er did not forget the task that Fang Zheng had entrusted to him.

He invited Hope over a few days after returning to Fica.

Only Hope had the ability to obtain the internal structure diagram of the Temple Mount.

"Brother Lai, I was originally unwilling to come when you invited me. I didn't expect that Fica would truly broaden my horizons," Hope said with admiration as he cut his steak.

Originally, Fica was not a short distance from the Holy City, and he was truly unwilling to come, but he couldn't resist Lai Gou'er's repeated requests.

After thinking about it, he still had to give him this face.

Firstly, he was curious about Father Solje's situation, and secondly, he was now doing business with Great Jing and making a lot of money.

If Lai Gou'er were to get angry, that would not be good.

Of course, he also had something he wanted to take the opportunity to discuss in person...

However, just arriving in Fica's main city had broadened his horizons!

The domestic situation in Fica exceeded expectations... Although the level of wealth was far inferior to that of the Holy City, judging from the residents' expressions, they were full of energy.

Moreover, the streets were clean and swept, completely lacking the gloomy state of ordinary cities.

Most importantly, the believers... the believers' expressions were completely different from those of the Holy City's believers. Many people in the church had a sense of heartfelt satisfaction on their faces.

Lai Gou'er smiled slightly: "This is all thanks to Father Solje and Duke Yales."

"Since the incident in the Holy City last time, the Father has decided to break away from the Church and restore the teachings on his own, but he still maintains the Church's management on the surface."

"However, the Church has already understood the situation and is starting to get restless. Before I returned home, rumors were spreading that Father Solje had betrayed the Church, and he even experienced two assassinations."

Hope frowned: "This is just a common tactic of the Church. It's already a miracle that they've let the Father live until now! If the outside world hadn't promoted the Father as a priest blessed by the Holy Father, I'm afraid he would have died long ago."

"By the way, Brother Lai, what exactly is the reason you insisted on inviting me here? Could it be that there's been a change in our business?"

Lai Gou'er gently waved his hand: "Brother Hope, I treat you as a friend."

"It's only natural for friends to see each other occasionally. There's nothing special, I just wanted to ask you to chat, no need to be too serious."

Hope raised an eyebrow, looked at Lai Gou'er with a playful expression, and clicked his tongue.

"Just chatting casually, I do have something I've been curious about and wanted to ask you..."

"I'll tell you everything I know."

Hope leaned forward slightly and said in a low voice: "I've never seen a woman from Great Jing. Are the women of Great Jing... that... are they big?"

"Big? Which one?" Lai Gou'er asked confusedly.

"That one, how could you not understand? Tsk, are their boobs big!"

"Uh... boobs, their boobs don't seem to be as big as over here."

Hope leaned back in his chair and curled his lips: "No fun, then I have nothing to ask."

"Besides women, can't you talk about something else?" Lai Gou'er said helplessly.

Hope was a boisterous person with sharp eyes, and his love for women seemed to be different from ordinary people.

He was already quite wealthy, yet he was still so tirelessly devoted to it, it was truly hard to imagine.

"Hehe, you want to talk about something, you just talk about it."

Lai Gou'er said: "Actually, I've always been curious, you rely on people in the upper echelons of the Church, and your business is so big. How do you usually maintain this relationship? Besides sending money, are there any unique techniques you can teach me?"

"Hey!" Hope perked up, "Don't even mention it, you really asked the right person, I have special bribery techniques."

As he spoke, Hope poked the steak in his plate with a knife and said: "Speaking of which, there's nothing complicated about it. You see, the little steak we're eating is just simply pan-fried with oil and a little salt, and it becomes a rare delicacy."

"It can be seen that high-end ingredients often only need the simplest cooking methods to achieve excellent results, and the same goes for building relationships."

"High-end social interactions often only use the most primitive methods of communication."

"Oh?" Lai Gou'er rested an elbow on the table, listening quietly.

"Listening to you, it's nothing more than sending beautiful women, is that anything special?"

Hope curled the corner of his mouth: "Is just sending beautiful women enough? What kind of beautiful women haven't the upper echelons of the Church seen? From virgins in their teens to women in their thirties, they're all tired of playing with them!"

"So, I have to think of new tricks. I don't send ordinary women, I send wives!"

"Holy crap! You're a bit ruthless!" Lai Gou'er was shocked and re-evaluated Hope.

This guy's impression in his heart was refreshed once again.

His bottom line seemed to be a bit low!

Hope snorted: "Otherwise, why do you think I keep so many women, going out with a group of women in a flamboyant and ostentatious manner, strutting down the street? These are all my resources for bribery!"

"The reason I do this is to let everyone in the Holy City know that these women are my beloved!"

"Think about those sanctimonious high-level Church officials in the Temple, knowing that the woman in their bed is the beloved of the famous businessman Hope... How do they feel? It's all about this stimulation!"

"When I want to ask someone for help again, do you think they can refuse? At worst, I'll just stuff them with more money, and any problem can be solved!"

Lai Gou'er hesitated: "Then... where do you put your face?"

Hope laughed heartily, with a hint of bitterness in his smile: "Face? Outsiders see me as glamorous and brilliant, but the upper echelons see me as a joke!"

"Hey... but I don't care. I understood when I was in my twenties that this world is so cruel."

"If you want to live well and play well in the Church's game, so that you don't fall into the ranks of the common people, there is only one mantra."

"What mantra?"

"Use any means necessary, survival of the fittest."

......